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Disclaimer: This information is not meant to substitute for professional advice; please consult your medical provider or pharmacist.

Drug Dosing Toolkit

Epzicom (Epivir + Ziagen)

Type of Drug: Fixed-Dose Combination

Approved adult dosing

Epivir 300 mg + Ziagen 600 mg in a single tablet

one tablet, once a day

  • Daily

    Epzicom (Ziagen + Epivir)

    Epzicom

My doctor's instructions

Notes on taking this medication

  • No food restrictions, can take with or without food
  • Do not take Epzicom with Emtriva
  • Persons with kidney problems may need an adjustment to their doses of the component drugs, and have to take them separately, not as a single pill

Same side effects as

Epivir

  • Side effects are rare but include headaches and general sense of feeling ill
  • Epivir is active against hepatitis B, and stopping it can cause "flare-up" of hepatitis B

Ziagen

  • Mild nausea; vomiting; diarrhea; loss of appetite
  • Rash

Caution! Ziagen can cause a serious allergic reaction that includes at least 2 of the following: fever, malaise, severe nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, and rash. Symptoms usually begin within 6 weeks of starting medication.

If you think you are having an allergic reaction, call your doctor at once. If allergic, you will have to stop Ziagen and never take it again. Starting it again can cause serious illness or death.

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